The Secrets They Kept From Me
by Katie Lyyn-98
Summary: Two people. Too many secrets. One outcome. How will it all end? My name is Annie Odair, I have a four year old son, and my husband is dead. Or so I thought. - - - - My name is Katniss Mellark, I have two children, my husband is Peeta Mellark, and I have no other family besides them. Until I discover a secret. A secret that was kept from me. *NOT A ROMANCE BETWEEN ANNIE AND KATNISS*
1. Chapter 1

_***I am not Suzanne Collins, nor do I own The Hunger Games. I am simply a fan. ***_

_**Please review this. It's my first fanfiction, so I'd appreciate whatever opinions given. Sorry for it being so short.**_

The Secrets They Kept From Me; Mockingjay sequel (fan-made)

Prologue:

**Annie's POV**

"Finn, please stop—" My words are cut off at the sound of a crash coming from my bedroom. I sigh and stand up, hoping my little four year-old didn't knock anything breakable over. I walk into my room and see Finn throwing paper into the air.

"Finnick Trishul Odair, exactly _what_ do you think you are doing? Where did you get those—" I gasp, seeing the box of my deceased husband's – Finnick's – things. The things I had never went through due to my grief. "Finn . . . you know better than to touch this. I told you too many times not to go near it. You could at least try to obey me." I sigh and blow a stray piece of hair from my face. "You are too much like your father. He could never listen to words of wisdom either." Despite my words, I smile at the memory of Finnick, always smiling and doing things he shouldn't. Our son has his spirit, that's for sure.

I bend down to pick up the papers and memoirs. But something on a note catches my eye. I pick up the yellowing sheet of paper and scan over the words. My breath catches, and the sheet of paper falls from my hand and flutters gently to the ground. "Finn . . . how would you like to go visit Aunt Katniss, hmm?"

Finn claps his hands and shrieks his agreement. I try to smile for him, so he doesn't think I'm mad. "Okay, we'll go. I just need to call Aunt Johanna, alright? Why don't you go pack some toys?"

Finn darts from the room as if the devil himself were chasing him. I sigh again, a small smile playing on my lips. How I have kept him from hurting himself beyond repair is something I have never figured out. I only hope I can keep it that way. I walk over to my telephone and punch in Johanna's number. It rings for a few moments, and she finally picks it up. "'Lo?" Her voice is soft and slurred, as if she had just woken up. Which is ridiculous, because it's almost three o'clock in the afternoon. I take a deep breath, mustering up the courage to tell her everything. I decide against it just as I'm about to pour my heart out to her. No, it's time for me to take command and make sure things get done. "Johanna, I need your help. We're going to Katniss's house."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sorry for not updating! I tried, but wasn't able to get on my "writing computer" very much. And NaNoWriMo is coming up, so I'm preparing. My kitten also passed away on the 24th, and it's been hard on my family and me. So, I wasn't able to update until today. Also, I'm not sticking with the whole 15 years before the first child thing. It wasn't working out with my idea (There might be an updated version of this chapter later, once it's critiqued by a friend. I was just ready to get this chapter up here!). **_

_**Hope you enjoy! Please read and review.**_

_***I am not Suzanne Collins, and I do not own The Hunger Games, nor do I claim to. All characters are hers, I'm just a fan, like I said before***_

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Chapter 1:

**Katniss's POV**

_Umph!_

My eyes fly open as two – no, four – feet land on my stomach, knocking all breath from my lungs. I roll onto my side, hoping to escape from the pairs of little feet intent on waking me from my (surprisingly) nightmare-less slumber. The two children, Callida and Fintan, fall backwards onto Peeta, jerking him awake.

Good. If I have to suffer, he's going to suffer with me. I swing my legs over the bed and yawn. I open the pocket watch on the table by our bed and squint at it. Only 6:30 A.M. Apparently our children are early-birds.

I yawn again and head down the stairs towards the kitchen. I walk into the kitchen, simply to find Johanna and Annie sitting at my table. "Morning, Brainless. About time you wake up." Johanna says, stuffing a pastry into her mouth. Annie smiles at me and goes to rescue Little Finn from destroying a stack of books near the kitchen counter. I rub my eyes at look at them again.

"What are you two – no, three – doing here?" I ask, a bit confused as to why they are in my house. "Wait, how did you even get in here? The door has a high-tech lock on it. No one can get through without my – or Peeta's – fingerprint." I massage my head, doubly confused now.

Johanna shrugs. "Well, Annie obviously knows how to trick a high-tech lock." She snorts. "She was even explaining to Finn how you do it while she was breaking in." I turn to Annie. "Is that true?" I ask.

Annie laughs and says it is. I shake my head. "Peeta!" I call, "Come down here now! We have visitors." I chat with them for a few more minutes before Peeta makes his entrance. Surprise lights his blue eyes, but he recovers quickly. "Hello, Johanna, Annie." He says,

Callida and Fintan, who were following closely behind Peeta, seem delighted to find a child their age in the house. They rush over to Finn and start chattering in their own language, disregarding us adults. I turn away from the children and back to Annie and Johanna.

Johanna has that "Look" on her face, but it's directed towards Annie. The one that she used on me when I was trying to tell her I was pregnant with Callida, our little girl, but I couldn't figure out how to word it.

"_Just get it over with already, Brainless," she had said with a sneer, "I can take whatever it is you're about to tell me."_

I smile at the memory before settling in a chair beside Peeta. Johanna clears her throat. "Well, Annie, are you going to tell us what is so urgent that you had to interrupt our normal lives?" She asks. Annie says nothing for a bit. She just stares at the wall, her eyes tearing slightly. Peeta excuses himself for a moment, and he starts making hot chocolate, a treat we rarely go without on cold days. I notice it has a calming effect on Peeta whenever he has an "episode".

Once the hot chocolate is ready, Peeta fills four cups and sets three on the table, keeping one for himself. We all sip in silence while waiting for Annie to break free from her haunting memories. I have a lot of experience with those, I guess, since I'm married to Peeta. His "episodes" are rare, but they still happen every now and then. Maybe I should try to talk Annie out of—

"'Ello?" Haymitch's booming – and slightly slurred – voice breaks through the silence and my thoughts. I roll my eyes and turn towards Peeta. "We really need to talk to a locksmith about getting a better lock. One that people – specifically _Haymitch_ – won't be able to get past." I say, wrinkling my nose. Peeta smiles but says nothing. Not that he has much chance to.

Haymitch appears at the doorway, his eyes bloodshot and drooping, and his clothes are in disarray. He's drunk, of course. My temper starts to rise. "Haymitch," I say, "how many times—" He holds his hand up lazily. "Sweetheart, why wasn't I invited to the party? You'd think, after all I've done for you, that you'd invite ol' Haymitch." He starts laughing as if this is some great joke, and then he pukes on my floor.

Johanna starts snickering, and whispers to me, "You need to get a new mentor." I rub my eyes, tired, and then rush to find a few rags to clean the mess up with. I hold my breath and scrub the floor until it shines, while Haymitch complains about the way my house smells. I just shake my head and remind myself that it wouldn't be right for me to strangle my former mentor in front of my children. So I just fantasize about it.

By the time I have everything under control again, Annie has rejoined the present. She rubs her head and looks at each of us, almost pitiful. I nod my head, gesturing for her to start as I reclaim me seat.

She takes a deep breath before starting. "The other day, I was cleaning out the attic," She starts, "I had brought a box if Finnick's things down and placed it on a table in my bedroom. I had never gone through the box before. Someone, I'm not sure who, boxed it up for me. I've tried to go through it all before, but I wasn't able to without crying and worrying Finn, so I just put it in the attic." She takes a few more breaths before continuing. "Little Finn knocked the box over when I was resting. I was putting everything back when this," she pulls a yellowing sheet of paper out from a shirt pocket, "caught my eye. Or, rather, two of the words on it." She looks around at us, and then timidly hands the paper to me. I grasp it, unsure of what I will find, and scan over it quickly. Two words halt my breathing. The paper trembles in my hand. I look up, my forehead crinkled in confusion. "W-what? District 14? What is this?" I ask her.

She just shakes her head. "I don't know." She says, "I studied it for hours into the night. I looked at every History book and old newspaper I could get my hands on, searching for any mention of 'District 14'. But, I found nothing at all."

I stare at the note for a few more moments, and then it's suddenly snatched from my hand. I twist around, ready to snatch it back from the offender. Haymitch stands above me, reading the note. He laughs and tosses the note back to Annie. "Yeah, right. There is no District 14. Where would they hide it, huh? Apparently, there isn't one. Whoever wrote this must have been delusional. A little off in the head or something." He says, snorting. I scowl at him after noting the hurt in Annie's eyes and snatch the note back.

I cover her hand with mine. "Don't listen to Haymitch, Annie. He's too stupid to understand much of anything, anyway." I say, and Haymitch protests. We ignore him; all of us look over the paper, each adding our own opinions.

After a time, we still haven't come up with anything solid. I toss the paper on the table between us. "I give up." I say, frustrated. "We have no reason to believe there is really a District 14. We've never heard anything about it. This note could be code for something else. Who knows?" Haymitch snorts. "That's what I've been sayin', Sweetheart. If only you'd listen to—" I tune him out, something I've become good at doing over the years. I turn to him, glaring. "If you would listen to _me_, Haymitch, you'd know that I told you before, don't come around my children drunk." He starts to interrupt, but I hold up my hand. "Uh, uh, uh! Don't say a word. I don't care what you do at your house, but don't come over here with alcohol on your breath. I don't want my kids subjected to that, and I told you that before Callida was born. Five minutes before, if I remember correctly." My rant over, I lean back and fold my arms over my chest, silently daring him to contradict me. Instead, he raises his hands and sinks into the chair. "Fine," he grumbles, "I was just sayin' that before you go chasing wild dreams and hopes of another district, maybe you should stop and consider the fact that we have no need for a District 14."

We all stare at him, each of us pondering over what he said, I'm sure. It's true. Why would we need – or even want – a District 14? We have everything we need. We have our freedom from Snow and The Capitol. There are no Games. People rarely starve to death or die from illness now. Everyone has access to the doctors from The Capitol, and, with all the jobs there are for each district, enough money to pay for such things. So, the question that begs to be asked would be _what would be the purpose of another district? _I doubt any of us has the answer.

Haymitch stands up, jerking us all away from our musings. He stretches. "Well, I'm going to go say bye to the kiddos. Y'all be good and don't forget what I said. About District 14, ya know." He winks before heading to the living room. I faintly hear him calling the children while my mind wanders back to my previous thoughts. District 14 . . . Finnick . . . Everything we need . . .

"Katniss!" My chin jerks up at the sound of Haymitch's panicked voice. My eyes widen and I stand from my chair, and the others do the same. Haymitch runs into the room, breathing heavy. My heart pounds and fear starts to overwhelm me. "What is it, Haymitch?" I ask, my voice shaky and vulnerable. Haymitch shakes his head, and fear closes its strong, dark fingers over my heart, squeezing it until the pain is too much to bear. My knees buckle and I start to fall, but Peeta catches me and holds me close while we wait for Haymitch to tell us something. "I can't find them!" He cries. I clutch Peeta's arm while everything inside of me hopes against hope. "What do you mean? You can't find who?" I hear Johanna ask. Haymitch closes his eyes and shakes his head again. And then, the very words I have nightmares about and dread hearing, come from his mouth.

"The children." That's the last thing I hear before it all turns dark, and I sag to the floor. The only thought on my mind before I fall is "_I've failed._"

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_**Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! I might not be able to get another chapter up for a bit; things are really hectic right now. But, please, while you wait, you can come up with suggestions for me. I could use all the ideas I can get right now.**_

_**Anyway, thanks again for reading. Leave your honest opinion, good or bad. As a writer, I always want to know the things I'm doing "right" and what can be fixed or changed. Until I post again! ~ Katie Lyyn**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello again. It's been a while, huh? Sorry about that. I was doing NaNoWriMo with my novel. And I won! So, yay for that. Now I'm sort of stuck with my novel, so I have time to update on this. **_

_**Also, I am changing the Mellark kids' names. They will be Hope and Hunter. I figure it fits them more than the names I gave them. I don't take credit for their names, either. I got the idea from another fanfic, "The Luxury of Knowing" by .Awkward. **_

_**Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**_

Chapter 2:

**Annie's POV**

The children are missing. Finn. Finn is missing. I'm his mother; I'm supposed to care for him. I was supposed to protect him. And I've failed at that.

I hardly notice Katniss fainting and Peeta catching her. I hardly notice Johanna grabbing my arm and shaking it, saying something that, I suspect, is supposed to keep me from panicking. It's too late, though. I'm already panicking. I'm already about to dive back into the crazed, depressed state that I was in the months after my husband died. Everything in me tells me to go lie somewhere and cry. But there's a little piece of me that refuses. That tells me to find him and never let him out of my sight again, or else I'll have failed Finnick.

Johanna shakes me again, and this time I turn to look at her.

"Annie," she says quietly, "you can't blank out. We need to find him, okay? Promise me you won't blank out?"

I nod. "Yes, yes, I promise. Please, we have to find them, now!"

Katniss awakens. She looks around, obviously confused. Then it dawns on her. She jumps up, her face a mixture of agony and desperation. "Where are they? Have y'all found them yet?"

Peeta shakes his head and strokes her hair. "Not yet, love. But we'll find them, okay?"

Katniss looks hopeful. "What if they're just outside? We could be overreacting!"

Johanna shakes her head. "Haymitch went out to check. They were there. We're going to check in the woods. They love the woods, right? Your kids, anyway."

Katniss nods. "Yeah, they do. Maybe they're just playing in the woods. They're okay, I'm sure. And Finn would follow them, right? Right." She answers her own question before anyone else has a chance to. I understand how she feels though. We're mothers. Mothers always feel this way.

We all venture outside. We call for the children, but they never show up. I'm suddenly feeling like the mother duck from a song my mother used to sing to me when I was little . . .

_One little duck went out one day,_

_Over the hills and far away._

_Mother Duck said, "Quack, quack, quack, quack,"_

_But none of her little ducks came back._

I only hoped my story would end the way hers did. So I start humming the last verse to myself.

_A sad mother duck went out one day,_

_Over the hills and far away._

_Mother Duck said, "Quack, quack, quack, quack,"_

_And all of her little ducks came back._

It was silly, I know. I wasn't a duck. I wasn't from a song. And life, as it had shown me too many times, didn't always end happily ever after. Most of the time, it ended with a broken heart, a betrayed soul, a hopeless end. Like it would for me if my little duck didn't come back.

What was I to do? I didn't know where to look. I didn't know where a child could hide, here. I wasn't familiar with this territory. I suddenly felt very . . . hopeless. There was no way I could find my son here. My baby was all alone, somewhere. He was probably afraid. He was probably wondering where I was. Hopefully he wasn't alone. Maybe Hope and Hunter were with him. That would be best, even if they were just children too. They knew this land better than he or I did. I could only hope. And even hope would forsake me by the time the sun went down.

I walked a while, having already left Peeta, Katniss, and Haymitch. Johanna went a different way to search, so I hadn't seen her for about thirty minutes. I had gone through every story I ever told Finn, to every dream I had for him. I then count the days it has been since Finn was born. When I finish that, I count how many days it has been since Finnick has died. Over a thousand. A lot over a thousand.

My baby has never met his daddy. He won't know him. He never has and never will. The thought makes me stop as physical pain overwhelms me. Why did he have to die? Why?

I look up and hear a little shriek. My heart starts beating erratically. It's my son. It's Finn. I would know it anywhere. I sprint in the direction of it and try to avoid logs and sticks and thorn bushes. None of them can stop me from getting to my son. They can try, but they won't. I reach a clearing, where I see a man kneeling beside my son. He's having a rather animated conversation with him, I can tell. My heart stops when the man looks up at me. It can't be. I must be dreaming. I have to be. . . . The man can't possibly be . . . .

But he is. I would know him anywhere, even all these years later.

Caddis. The one who went into the games with me. The one who was beheaded in front of me. The one I felt guilty about, because I had lived and he had not. My little brother.

_**Awww, not what you were expecting? Sorry 'bout that. I wasn't expecting it either, but hey, I have to keep y'all guessing, right? Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Remember, read and review! ~ K.L.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Hello again. I'm really sorry that my posts aren't consistent. I'm really trying to make that better, but my life is terribly busy and I rarely have time to write fanfics. _**

**_Anyway, enjoy the chapter!_**

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Chapter 3:

Katniss' POV

We find Annie and the children near a strangely familiar man. It's not so much his face that I recognize, but the way he stands and moves. I move cautiously, ready to attack at the first sign of resistance or danger towards the toddlers.

Annie seems to be in shock; her face is contorted in confusion and sadness. "It can't be," she whispers.

The man smiles and nods. "But it is, sister dear."

It takes me a moment to remember that Annie had a brother. He died in the games. Annie saw him beheaded. So how . . .

Annie shakes her head, slowly at first, and then faster. She starts to whine in a shrill voice, and I can tell she's about to have an episode. "No, no, no, _NO!_ It's _not _true!" She turns around and sees me, even though I'm covered by the trees. "Tell him, Katniss! Tell him! He's dead! The Capitol is trying to punish me. Punish me for living. For not sacrificing myself for him like you did for Prim!"

My heart pangs at the mention of Prim. But I know that Annie doesn't mean it in a cruel way. She's simply frightened. I come out from hiding – it obviously wasn't working, anyway – and tried to reassure Annie. "Shh, it's okay, Annie." I look towards him, this brother. I don't know if it is one of the Capitol's tricks, or if he may have not died, or what. I just need to calm Annie down before she hurts herself. I look to where Peeta and Johanna are hiding. They seem to have the same thoughts.

I reach my arm out towards her. "Annie . . . please calm down. Finnick wouldn't want this."

She starts to sob. It's quiet, but you can see as it shakes her shoulders. "He's dead . . . He and Caddis are dead. It's my fault. Always my fault. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She rocks back and forth.

"No, no, it's not your fault. It's not." I glare in the man's direction. "Who do you think you are? Why are you here?"

He holds out his hands, palms up. "I'm her brother. Ask her."

I growl. "Well, apparently, she doesn't agree." I nod towards Peeta and Johanna to get the kids. They shouldn't be so close to a stranger; especially one who could possibly be an imposter working for the Capitol to get back at the rebel victors.

"What's wrong with her?" He asks, not seeming to understand that she doesn't want him to be anywhere near her.

"_Stay away from her_," I hiss. "You have no clue, do you? You must be a Capitolite, with your stupidness."

He studies me for a moment, until Haymitch comes stumbling through the brush waving his heads around his head like a madman.

"What is it, Haymitch?" Peeta asks, his tone on edge. I worry about him over-stressing and having an episode. He hasn't had one in a while, but anything could happen.

Haymitch coughs and tries to catch his breath. "You will never guess what I just saw."

"Just spit it out, already!" I snap.

"I'm not drunk, I promise. I've been sober for," he squints his eyes, trying to remember, "about two days."

"Hurry up with it, Haymitch," Johanna says, stepping out from her spot and cornering the man. She never takes her eyes off him.

Haymitch rolls his eyes. "I'm gettin' to it, if ya give me the chance." He looks at Annie, and then 'Caddis.' "Who's he?"

"That doesn't matter right now, Haymitch. Just tell us already."

Haymitch nods. "I saw—"

"Finnick."

We all turn to Annie's brother. "What?" Annie asks, perplexed.

He continues. "Haymitch saw Finnick."

"Finnick's dead. I saw him die." I say. I gesture to Peeta. "You saw him too, didn't you? He saw him die." Peeta nods.

Caddis shakes his head. "Wrong. You thought he died. He's safe. In District 14."

There's silence for a moment. And then the shouting starts.

"What do you mean he's alive!?"

"Exactly why is he not here, helping Annie?"

"District 14!?"

"I need a drink!"

"Everyone shut up!" It was Peeta who demanded this. "Let's go back to the Victor Houses. We'll discuss it there."

* * *

When we get back, we make the children go upstairs to play. We don't need them getting out again and causing more trouble. We sit the man down in a chair and surround him. All except for Annie, who stares off in the distance, looking lost.

"What did you mean when you said Finnick was alive? And here?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Exactly what I said. Finnick is alive. He's working with District 14."

"What is District 14? There's no such thing. We never heard about it." Johanna seems antsy for answers.

"Finnick made it up." He gestures with his hands. "He created it. Some years back. For Mags. She said her family remembered a time before Snow. Before pain and torture and the games. He wanted to restore that time. For her."

"The games are gone. Why do we need a District 14?" Peeta asks.

"Because there once was a country. A great country. Greater than any other, or so they said. They were one of the first to fall. But they came back. As Panem. The country was called the United States of America. It was like small districts. Fifty of them. But they called them states."

"And?"

He glares at me. "_And_ Finnick wanted to restore that. In honor of Mags. In honor of her family. In honor of what was, and what could have been, what could be."

"So he left Annie?"

"No, he sacrificed his happiness for the greater good."

Annie shrieked. "_His _happiness? What about me? I'm the one raising a child on my own!"

He looks down at his feet. "He didn't know about the baby. If he did, he would have figured something out."

"Why didn't he just tell us about it? Why not let us try to restore everything together?" Johanna asked between gritted teeth.

"He knew it could get dangerous. He's certain it will. He said it was his battle to fight. He wouldn't let you all sacrifice your lives for him."

"Why now?" Annie asked quietly, back to her normal self once again. "Why come here? Why were you looking for us? Why?"

"I don't know that answer. Perhaps he wanted to check on you. He's missed you a great deal. You're all he talks about."

"Is that the truth, though?" Annie asked.

Caddis hung his head. "No. He doesn't speak of you at all. It's too painful to think of the people you left behind. It's for the greater good, though."

"No, it's selfish." I spit out.

"We do what we do to make the world a better place."

I laugh. "You know, that greatest country you talk of; that country you want to go back to? Just remember something. It failed during the Dark War, too. Obviously, something wasn't right with it."

He seems to be restraining himself from lashing out at me. I almost wish he would. Then I could break his stupid neck. "We know that. But we'll make it stronger; better. We have a plan—"

Haymitch snorts and shakes his head before slapping the man's shoulder. Hard. "I'm sure they said the same thing. We're perfectly fine as Panem. We won the war. We're all equals now. Isn't that enough?"

"The districts have had to adjust to enough change already. Can't we just stay as we are?" Peeta throws in.

"This is ridiculous. For Panem's sake, can't we just move on? The past is the past. This America that you speak of . . . it's gone. We need to leave it that way." Johanna says.

Caddis opens his mouth again, but Annie interrupts. "Where is Finnick?"

Her voice is soft and childlike. So fragile that the wind could shatter it. Annie's been shattered enough. And as her friend, I plan on protecting her from being hurt even worse.

But, of course, nothing ever goes my way. I should know this, after twenty odd years of being alive. And I realize this again, when Finnick steps through the doorway, looking as handsome as ever.

"Annie?"


End file.
